UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) – Risk Consultant

Result of ServiceDevelop detailed project proposals for research on environment-related risk management based on insurance market needs in consultation with key stakeholders and in coordination with industry and thematic teams. Develop guidance materials to support integration of climate, nature and wider sustainability-related risks within risk management frameworks for the insurance sector. Deliver support to financial institutions participating in the UNEP FI Risk Centre’s Advanced Research programme. Provide support and expert advice on the projects in the 2025-2026 workplan of the Risk Centre as it relates chiefly to the insurance sector, and as needed to the banking sector. Build and develop relationships with insurance market players and key stakeholders with a view to involve PSI members within the Risk Centre’s activities and others to join UNEP FI. Support risk-related capacity building of UNEP FI members and help upskill junior staff within the Risk Centre on risk management-related topics. Establish partnerships with NGOs, non-profits, academic and research institutions, and commercial institutions as necessary to build an insurance offering to Risk Centre members. Suggest potential risk-related partnerships or outputs that might be of benefit to UNEP FI and its members. Support the delivery of insurance-specific guidance development and capacity building initiatives and supporting material as required, along with supporting broader team-wide initiatives. Working with the Risk Lead, ensure the Risk Centre programme contributes to implementing the PRB, PSI, and assessing and managing climate, nature, pollution and social risk, adjusting research group work plans and materials with suggestions for adapting them and contributing to the risk programme's planning/scoping activities. Ensure relevance for the financial sector on upcoming priorities in the field of environmental and social risk and consider how those topics might be integrated into current and future Risk programme sessions or research groups. Promote Risk Centre outputs and offerings online and at in-person events. Provide input into the communications strategy and materials of UNEP FI to communicate Risk Centre outputs and offerings to financial institutions’ risk teams. Work LocationWorking remotely Expected duration4 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The overall objective of the UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division is to encourage decision makers in government, local authorities, and industry to develop and adopt policies, strategies and practices and technologies that promote sustainable patterns of consumption and production, make efficient use of natural resources, ensure safe management of chemicals and contribute to making trade and environment policies mutually supportive. It promotes the development, use and transfer of policies, technologies, economic instruments, managerial practices and other tools that assist in environmentally sound decision making and the building of corresponding activities. The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is the strategic partnership between the United Nations and over 500 banks, insurers, and investors. For over 32 years UNEP FI has been shaping and driving the international sustainable finance agenda, setting global standards, and growing a global network of leading financial institutions. Through its work-streams and regional activities, peer learning, methodology development, training and research, UNEP FI promotes sustainable finance and helps the financial industry align with and contribute to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Global Biodiversity Framework, and Sustainable Development Goals. UNEP FI helps align private finance with sustainable development by engaging financial institutions committed to implementing leading industry sustainability frameworks – the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI), Net-Zero Alliances for banks and asset owners (together with the Principles for Responsible Investment), and a multistakeholder Forum for Insurance Transition to Net Zero (FIT). UNEP FI’s Risk Centre provides financial institutions with research into emerging approaches and tools to assess, manage and report on sustainability risks in areas such as climate change, nature loss, pollution, and social issues. UNEP FI’s Risk Centre provides UNEP FI members with insights and enhances capabilities for risk assessment and disclosure and provides opportunities to explore technical risk-related topics with experts, regulators, modelers, data providers and peers. Tailored for financial risk professionals, this hub builds on UNEP FI’s long-running climate and nature risk programmers. The Centre offers resources, technical skill-building workshops and research groups that develop cutting-edge risk management resources. The team also supports UNEP FI members on operationalizing industry sustainability frameworks and readiness for regulatory measures on sustainability risk. To meet the growing momentum on environmental risk, UNEP is scaling up programming on climate risks, nature risks, and other emerging sustainability risks such as social and pollution. This work is undertaken under a Risk Centre to provide UNEP FI members with state-of-the-art knowledge and convening space for peers and leading partner organizations to ensure they can act with the best available, science-based information. To that effect, UNEP FI requires a consultant to provide support for UNEP FI’s risk programme to develop and deliver projects and activities, engage stakeholders and support UNEP FI on risk integration across industry and thematic workstreams. The consultant will bring expertise and perspectives from the finance sector to ensure Risk Centre activities support financial institutions in implementing the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) and climate and nature risk management in line with the priorities of UNEP FI members and UNEP. This alignment aims to enhance future activities to meet financial institutions’ sustainability risk management needs more effectively and advance integrated risk management. Objectives: Objective 1: In conjunction with the Risk Lead, consultants, industry and thematic teams, and external partners, develop and test ideas for Research Group programming that would be of interest to UNEP FI insurance sector members. Objective 2: In conjunction with the consultant, industry and thematic teams, and external partners, develop project proposal for research on chosen insurance-related topics in consultation with key stakeholders and implement in coordination with industry and thematic teams. Objective 3: In conjunction with the other consultants and industry and thematic teams, develop and manage the ongoing Research Group sessions/outputs as they relate to the insurance market or as assigned. Objective 4: Support the delivery of ongoing Risk centre research group sessions, through supporting project management that may be required at times. Objective 5: Ensure the Risk Centre programme contributes to implementing the PRB, PSI, and assessing and managing climate, nature, pollution and social risk, adjusting research group work plans and materials with suggestions for adapting them and contributing to the risk programme's planning /scoping activities. Objective 6: Support Risk Centre new membership acquisitions in the insurance sector as required, including administrative updates, along with supporting other team-wide initiatives. Specific tasks and responsibilities • Develop detailed project proposals for research on environment-related risk management based on insurance market needs in consultation with key stakeholders and in coordination with industry and thematic teams. • Develop guidance materials to support integration of climate, nature and wider sustainability-related risks within risk management frameworks for the insurance sector. • Deliver support to financial institutions participating in the UNEP FI Risk Centre’s Advanced Research programme. • Provide support and expert advice on the projects in the 2025-2026 workplan of the Risk Centre as it relates chiefly to the insurance sector, and as needed to the banking sector. • Build and develop relationships with insurance market players and key stakeholders with a view to involve PSI members within the Risk Centre’s activities and others to join UNEP FI. • Support risk-related capacity building of UNEP FI members and help upskill junior staff within the Risk Centre on risk management-related topics. • Establish partnerships with NGOs, non-profits, academic and research institutions, and commercial institutions as necessary to build an insurance offering to Risk Centre members. Suggest potential risk-related partnerships or outputs that might be of benefit to UNEP FI and its members. • Support the delivery of Risk Centre/PRB guidance development and capacity building initiatives and supporting material as required, along with supporting wider team-wide initiatives. • Working with the Risk Lead, ensure the Risk Centre programme contributes to implementing the PRB, PSI, and assessing and managing climate, nature, pollution and social risk, adjusting research group work plans and materials with suggestions for adapting them and contributing to the risk programme's planning/scoping activities. • Ensure relevance for the financial sector on upcoming priorities in the field of environmental and social risk and consider how those topics might be integrated into current and future Risk programme sessions or research groups. • Promote UNEP FI Risk Centre outputs and offerings online and at in-person events. • Provide input into the communications strategy and materials of UNEP FI to communicate Risk Centre outputs and offerings to financial institutions’ risk teams. • Capacity-building activities for PRB signatories in relation to adaptation and resilience in the context of insurance (e.g. learnings from the PSI-managed V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility (V20-SIF). • Evaluate interlinkages between banking and insurance risk and provide briefing note for potential research to develop knowledge base. Outputs and Deliverables: • Develop detailed project proposals for research on environment-related risk management based on insurance market needs in consultation with key stakeholders and in coordination with industry and thematic teams. • Deliver support to financial institutions participating in the UNEP FI Risk Centre’s Advanced Research programme. • Provide support and expert advice on the projects in the 2025-2026 workplan of the Risk Centre as it relates chiefly to the insurance sector, and as needed to the banking sector. • Build and develop relationships with insurance market players and key stakeholders with a view to involve PSI members within the Risk Centre’s activities and others to join UNEP FI. • Support risk-related capacity building of UNEP FI members and help upskill junior staff within the Risk Centre on risk management-related topics. • Working with the Risk Lead, ensure the Risk Centre programme contributes to implementing the PRB, PSI, and assessing and managing climate, nature, pollution and social risk, adjusting research group work plans and materials with suggestions for adapting them and contributing to the risk programme's planning/scoping activities. • Provide input into the communications strategy and materials of UNEP FI to communicate Risk Centre outputs and offerings to financial institutions’ risk teams. The consultant shall be under the overall supervision of the Head of UNEP FI, report directly to the Programme Management Officer (Deputy Head), UNEP FI. Qualifications/special skillsEducation:A bachelor’s degree in risk management, insurance, finance, law, economics, environmental studies, international relations, business administration or related fields preferred. A master’s degree may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree, provided the candidate has 5 years of experience. Work Experience: A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in the insurance sector and/or broader financial services sector, law, environmental science, commercial consulting, data analytics or applied academic research on risk management, sustainable insurance, and/or responsible banking. This experience should be relevant for examining, assessment, management and disclosure of climate and wider sustainability-related risks. It should specifically cover the role of the insurance sector in managing sustainability issues relevant to risk management within insurance organizations and related financial institutions. Ideally, the consultant will have LanguagesEnglish is the working language of UNEP FI. English is mandatory for this consultancy. Knowledge of other United Nations languages is an asset. Additional InformationSpecial skills/knowledge: The Consultant should have a proven track record supporting risk-related research, experience in working with financial institutions (ideally insurers, and with a particular focus on sustainability or climate/nature risk data management and risk mitigation product creation). In addition, some knowledge of risk tools and/or data analytics/modelling and the use of AI to support risk management practices would be advantageous. Knowledge and experience with innovative uses of insurance in the promotion of nature-based solutions and sustainable finance is desirable. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.